Reports, proud muckraking, photos, videos and musings from the veteran LGBT and AIDS human rights advocate Michael Petrelis. Based in San Francisco since 1995.
Contact: MPetrelis_at_AOL_dot_com.
Vote Petrelis for BART Board District 9 in November!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

SF Board of Supes:Lower UN, US Flags for Day Against Homophobia

There's the most fantastic news to share today from San Francisco, where the United Nations was chartered, that just came to the Gays Without Borders groups from Latino gay Supervisor David Campos's office.

The Board of Supervisors yesterday unanimously passed the resolution he introduced last week on our behalf to direct the city to recognize May 17 as International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, as to lower the UN and American flags for 24-hours at UN Plaza.

Thanks to Gays Without Borders, which has staged four previous IDAHO actions, and our united Supervisors speaking with one, clear, loud voice from City Hall, this is the first year when San Francisco is officially endorsing, promoting and participating in IDAHO.

Major gratitude to the eleven Supervisors for this fabulous development and may our city now join every IDAHO in the coming years!

Here's a snippet of the vid of the March 27 meeting. The IDAHO discussion and vote starts at the 00:50 mark and runs until the 03:06 mark:

Many big thanks to Campos for taking the leadership role on the resolution and to all of the Supervisors for voting in favor directing the Department of Public Works to lower the iconic UN and American flags for a solid day to send a visual message of solidarity to the many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals who daily contend with threats of violence and murder.

Gays Without Borders is very pleased with the Supervisors showing international solidarity with LGBTI people and we look forward to continued coordination on the flag lowerings in May.